I wrote this a few months before "A Night to Remember" mod came out, so the title is a fun coincidence considering the content.
That evening, he let her choose one of the more elegant suits for him while she picked out an emerald green dress for herself. She put on her makeup and arranged her hair in an elegant low bun. Her earrings hung like emerald studded chandeliers along her long neck. He enjoyed watching her get ready. Knowing what lay beneath the fabric thrilled him, and the dress fit her wonderfully. The bodice hugged her figure tightly, while the bottom part of the dress cascaded down, hiding her legs. Or so he thought until she pulled the material to the sides, revealing a slit down her right leg that went up to mid-thigh.
"You look... breathtaking!" It was the only word that came to mind. She beamed at him and let go of the dress. The folds fell back into place, covering her legs once again.
"You don't look so bad yourself, handsome! You'll be turning plenty of heads tonight!"
"Only because I'll have you on my arm." He kissed her and offered his arm. "Shall we?"
"We shall." She smiled up at him. "I've called us a car, the driver is waiting downstairs."
The car dropped them off on the main street, in front of the park that surrounded the concert hall where the party was held.
"Sorry, ma'am, the alley is blocked. I think they're repairing something."
"No worries, we can walk the rest of the way."
They got out of the car and looked around. Many other elegantly dressed guests were crossing the park on their way to the festivities. It was a nice evening; the sky was clear, and the moon shone brightly above the buildings, casting its dull light on the city only to be outdone by the plethora of streetlamps. The air had been getting increasingly chilly in recent days, so they hurried towards the main entrance of the hall.
While she went to check her coat, he took his time surveying the room. The inside of the building was brightly lit by many low hanging ample chandeliers and the whole interior was sumptuous. It was quite spectacular with its tall ceilings, white polished marble floors, mirrors with intricately decorated frames that amplified the light, elegant winding marble stairs and wide tables set on the sides of the room, laden with various plates of food. A sight worthy of any palace banquet, and it was bustling with men and women in evening attire. He felt her perfume first, then her delicate hand wrapped around his arm. They smiled at each other and walked into the midst of the crowd that filled the room.
It didn't take long to find Darren and Elly. He could have heard their voices a mile away, even without his enhanced senses. They were making small talk with another couple, who turned out to be the dean and his wife. Darren was the first to notice their approach.
"Criss, Geralt! Finally! You're fashionably late, I see!" He was beaming at them with his arms open wide, waiting for them to get close enough to give them each a hug.
"Happy to see Elly dragged you out of the house," Criss replied merrily.
The dean's face turned pale when he recognized Geralt. He motioned to extend a hand out of habit, but quickly changed his mind and just nodded in recognition of their arrival. For a fraction of a second, Geralt's mouth twitched up in a mean smile before he nodded in response. Not long after they made the formal introductions, the dean took his leave, along with his wife, mumbling something about an important guest.
"Hehe, I should keep close to you. Seems you are quite the asshole deterrent," Darren joked and jabbed his elbow into Geralt's side.
"Not sure my charm works on all of them, but at least that one will give us a wide berth."
"Come, let me show you around. The girls need to mingle and talk to potential donors." Darren had already grabbed his arm and was prepared to drag him away.
"Wait!" Criss pulled him aside for a moment. "People here tend to be a little long-winded. They're all going to go on about this or that project. If they get too technical, boring or annoying, just make up an excuse and leave. No one will mind. They'll just move on to the next willing ear."
"I'll be fine and if you must know, while you were busy this week, I've had a look through your books. Maybe I learned a thing or two about modern architecture or at least about a few renowned architects."
"You read about architecture? Willingly?" She asked with eyebrows raised.
"I thought... if you like it, there must be something to it, no?" he shrugged it off as if it was the most normal thing.
"You never cease to amaze me! In that case, good luck!" A delicate kiss sealed his lips before she turned with a smile.
"You too!" he replied and watched her walk off with Elly before Darren dragged him away.
Darren was already pointing at different people and telling him what each of them did for a living, or at least what the gossip was about them.
"That guy over there works for one of the big real estate developers. He's friends with the dean. A bit of a douche, but he donates a lot of money each year. The dean has ties to city hall and helps them get their projects through planning."
"Is that legal? Seems a bit shady."
"Meh, everybody profits so no one gives a hoot." They moved a little further along when a slim, dark-haired guy approached them.
"Hi, Darren, glad to see you at our little shindig. Where's your better half?"
"Hi, Milo." Darren warmly hugged the newcomer. "She's around here somewhere with Criss. They're doing their rounds greeting people."
"Same as me. Means I'll bump into them, eventually." He looked around intently until his eyes met Geralt's, and Darren remembered he was supposed to introduce him.
"Yeah, probably. By the way, this is Geralt, Criss's boyfriend. I'm showing him around. It's his first time here. This is Milo, the chair of the engineering department."
Geralt nodded politely, and the man smiled back, but the smile was anything but mirthful.
"So the rumours were true after all. Hope you enjoy the party, despite the company. At least the food is good, and it's an open bar, huh?"
"Haven't had a chance to grab a drink yet, maybe we should do that now, Darren."
Darren took the hint, excused them, and moved on.
"What did he mean 'despite the company'?"
"Oh, that…" He cleared his throat, uncomfortable. "He meant Criss. They had a falling out over some project years ago and haven't seen eye to eye since."
"I wonder what he did to get on her bad side. She's pretty hard to piss off."
Darren laughed. "True, but she's very intense about her work."
Geralt hummed in approval. If he learnt anything about her was that she could be very single-minded putting everything aside to focus on what she deemed most important.
They continued to make their way through the crowd, and soon the bar was in sight.
"What are you drinking?" Darren asked.
"Whiskey on ice." He turned to look back at the room. "So, is there anyone worth knowing here?"
"Depends where your interests lie. If you want to pull strings with city hall, the guys in that corner are the ones to talk to. If you want to invest money with a good profit, look over there, the woman in the red dress and the guy next to her. They know all the ropes... but they don't help just anyone. It's a double-edged sword with them. They might help you, they might swindle you. If you are looking for the best architects and engineers, just look around. The room is filled with them, some work for the university, but most just studied here and like to use these parties as an excuse to mingle. The rest are the developers, building contractors, real estate people. As I said, this is an excuse to schmooze."
"So it's more a courtship dance," Gerald summed up.
"Yes, if you count money as the object of the courtship."
"In that case, I'm thankful my only interest here is Criss. I've never been good at this type of polite pretence. Too rough around the edges, I've been told."
They moved away from the bar and were soon approached by a slim redhead in a dark blue dress that complimented her eye colour.
"How do you like the party?" she asked, touching both their arms, beaming.
"We're enjoying the drinks so far," Darren replied, joking. "Sorry... Have we met before?"
"Oh, I don't think so. That's why I came over. I know you're Elly's husband, but you," she squeezed Geralt's arm, "I haven't seen you here before. Are you a new donor?" she asked, looking him over from head to toe like she meant to take a bite out of him.
"Not really, I'm just here with someone..." He never got to finish his sentence; she promptly cut him off.
"How unfortunate! In that case, I'll let you enjoy the party!" She waved to someone behind them and dashed away.
"What the hell was that?" Geralt asked, confused.
"Shameless fishing! That's what that was... You're a new face here, so..."
"I get it... fishing indeed..."
His eyes swept across the room, observing the groups of people who were busy making conversation and assessing what they could gain from their counterparts. All their fake little gestures and pleasantries stood out to him like a sore thumb. And if that wasn't enough, he could also hear fragments of discussions around him, and he wondered how anyone could ever fall for such pure bullshit. Then again, they probably didn't. It was just polite etiquette and pretence on all parts, a social convention that prevented anyone from outright calling out the fake compliments and promises. He felt Darren elbowing his side again.
"You look grim," Darren remarked casually.
"Told you I'm not good at these things. Besides, it's not nearly as amusing as you'd promised it'd be."
"Just wait a bit until they get more drinks in them, then it'll be fun."
Geralt nodded and sipped his drink, then continued to skim over the crowd until his eyes rested on something he did not expect to see. Not in this world at least. It was his turn to elbow Darren.
"Who's that over there?" He nodded in the direction he had been looking to earlier.
"Who?"
"The tall guy with the brunette in the black dress, our redheaded friend from earlier is talking to them."
Darren squinted and looked in the direction Geralt indicated, extending his neck. Geralt wanted to roll his eyes. Darren was not subtle at all, and in this case, it could prove to be a big problem.
"Hmm, no idea. I saw him last year, but we haven't been introduced. I can ask Elly if you want, she might know. Judging by his expensive suit and the fact that red is still talking to him, he must be a big shot. What's your interest in him? Is he..." he looked to his left and right before whispering, "... a terrorist?"
Geralt fought the urge to slap some sense into him.
"No, don't be ridiculous, I just thought he looked familiar." He looked over his shoulder again. The man was still talking to the redhead, but his brunette companion seemed to have taken notice of Geralt's interest and was measuring him from afar. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. After a moment, her eyes went back to the redhead. This was not the time to play around. He grabbed Darren's arm and dragged him back through the crowd.
"It's time we got back to the girls."
"Wait! Let's just grab another drink first." Darren pulled back and returned to the bar. Geralt impatiently waited for him, while keeping an eye out for anything out of order. Who knew what else he would find if he looked more thoroughly? Darren finally came back holding two glasses.
"I got you another one. The bar is getting crowded and soon we'll be parched if we're not careful."
"Great, now let's go!" He tried to put on a fake smile, but as usual, it ended up looking wrong. Darren's face confirmed he wasn't fooling anyone.
"What's wrong? Why the hurry?" He squinted at him. "You're afraid Milo found them?"
"Huh? Milo? Who? Oh, that guy..."
"You shouldn't worry about him. He'll take jabs at Criss as usual, but she can handle herself."
"What?" He kept moving, not paying any attention to what Darren was saying. His only thought was to get back to Criss faster.
"Nevermind. Let's find them."
Geralt looked over the crowded room. Finally, he thought he saw a glimpse of emerald green and headed in its direction as quickly as possible. He wished he could just run to her, but he still needed to be mindful not to attract needless attention. Fragments of conversation came through as he got closer and he could hear her voice.
"... this year they won the Pritzker, so that shows that the judges are gearing more towards principled architecture and not so much towards aesthetics..." she was explaining to a pair of well-dressed gentlemen.
"Well, I disagree that this will become a trend. Like with everything else, they make a point to have a token representative to make it look like they care about higher principles, but in reality, we all know next year nothing will change. Trendy styles and flashy buildings will continue to dominate what's being built..."
"And yet, the modern movement and Bauhaus changed the face of architecture when everything used to be just style and form, so sometimes change is possible," Geralt interjected and made Criss's head turn. "I'm sorry gentlemen, I need to steal her from you for a moment." They gave him a slight nod, and he whisked her away to an area of the room that was less populated.
"You really did read through my books! Impressive!" She was bursting at the seams with pride and he wished he could enjoy it at length, but there were more important things to discuss. His serious face tipped her off that something must have happened.
"What's wrong? Did anyone say something to you?" She looked confused.
He leaned in to whisper into her ear.
"I thought you said there are no monsters in this world." He looked into her eyes as she replied in a hushed voice.
"I never said there are no monsters. I said there are no witches. I don't know if there are monsters or not, there may very well be some. This place had its own conjunctions over the ages. Something might have crossed and survived until now."
"Well, I'm telling you right now that there are and, furthermore, some are at this party right now." To his surprise, her expression remained calm.
"What kind of monsters?"
"Vampires... I saw a bruxa and I think she was with another higher vampire."
"Are you sure?" She shook her head and continued. "Nevermind, of course, you're sure… What am I saying? If anyone is to know, you'd definitely be the one." Her eyes moved from side to side as if searching for something. "Do you think there's any danger to the people here?"
"I'm not sure. I asked Darren who they were, and he didn't know, but mentioned that he had seen them last year as well. So maybe if no one died last year... No one died, right?"
"No one died as far as I know. But a girl disappeared shortly after."
"Fuck! We need to leave. I don't want you to stay here a moment longer!" He hooked her arm, meaning to drag her away, but she planted her feet firmly and refused to move.
"Wait! What makes you think I could be a target when there are so many other people around? They don't know who we are. No one knows, for that matter. Maybe it would be better to stay and keep an eye out to make sure that everyone is safe."
"And how am I supposed to do that? I'm wearing a tuxedo and I have no weapon. Should I grab the silverware and try to stab them with it? I can't protect them and I can't protect you. That's why we need to go. Now!"
"No! You just told me they might be looking for prey. I can't just go home and wait to find out who went missing this year." She was adamant, and he saw there was no persuading her. The only way to get her out would be to throw her over his shoulder and carry her out kicking and screaming. He sighed, resigned.
"So what do you propose we do?"
"We discreetly watch them and if they appear to make a move... we'll get in their way, draw attention to them. You can't attack them in public, but neither can they. We just need to make sure they remain in sight." Her voice was calm, as if she had done this a hundred times.
"That may be difficult..."
"Why?" Her eyes narrowed.
"I think the bruxa might have caught on to me. When I asked Darren who they were, he wasn't very subtle about it and it attracted her attention."
"So Darren might be in danger..."
"I don't think so. She was looking at me, not him. I got the distinct feeling she knew I was a threat."
"That's not possible. Witchers don't exist here, she couldn't have known what you are."
"Maybe there are no witchers, but if experience has taught me anything, where there are monsters, there are monster hunters. I'm sure someone else is doing a similar job here. Her eyes told me as much."
"If she noticed you, that's even more reason to stick around. She might have something planned for you and I'd rather we keep her in our sights."
"Fine, but this could end badly. I hope you know what you're getting us into."
"I don't, but I still hope we'll get out unscathed." She grabbed his arm and marched him back into the crowd of guests. "Now, let's find them!"
They waded through the groups of people who were making idle conversation and business dealings, picking up random bits of sentences here and there. He ignored it all and focused on finding the couple. Finally, he saw them standing in an area of the room that had no mirrors. They were careful to hide even if, in such a brightly lit and crowded place, the chances of anyone noticing they didn't cast a shadow and have no reflection were close to zero. It was by chance that even he noticed. Chance and the fact that Regis had taught him so much about higher vampires.
The redhead in the blue dress was still with them, but she seemed less voluble than before. Somehow, she was more docile. He couldn't see her face completely, but her hand gestures and body movements appeared to be less alert, less coordinated.
"Those two, next to the redhead in the blue dress, I think they chose her as tonight's prey." He pointed with a slight tilt of his head in their direction.
Criss discreetly eyed the pair while pretending to admire the decorations on one of the tables.
"They look so normal. I'd have never guessed."
"They hide well… Until you see their teeth, then it's too late." He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and a chill crept down his spine. "She is looking at me, isn't she?"
The bruxa was in her peripheral vision, so she could check without drawing any attention.
"You're right. She's very subtle, but she's watching you." He kept his back turned to the bruxa and let Criss watch her despite all his better instincts. Fortunately, she was good at hiding her intentions. She even made small talk with some people that passed them by, all the while still watching the vampires. A couple stopped next to them; they had been in the same university class as Criss and hadn't seen her in a long time. She happily chatted with them about their career and kids, apparently very interested in what they had been doing in the last few years. If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was immersed in conversation. For a moment, the couple moved between her and the vampires, and she immediately grabbed his hand and gave it a firm squeeze. His head snapped back. They were gone, and so was the redhead.
Criss let the pair finish their sentence and then excused herself, saying she needed to get some air. She coiled her hand around his arm and guided him across the room.
"Where did they go?" he asked in a hushed voice.
"I don't know about her, but the man and the redhead went to the terrace. Looking at them, I lost sight of the brunette. I'm not sure where she went. Let's go to the terrace, our priority should be to save their prey." He nodded.
They hurried through the banquet hall, towards the large doors that led outside. A few people were standing to the side, enjoying the cold fresh air, but the ones they were looking for were nowhere in sight.
"I'm sure this is where they went. Do you see them?"
He looked around; the terrace led into a large garden that was part of the park that surrounded the concert hall. It was partially lit, but the lights were dim and the evergreen bushes and trees obscured part of his view. He shook his head.
She pulled on his hand. "We need to search for her."
They went down the stairs that led to the garden and started walking the main path, hand in hand, like lovers looking for a midnight stroll, moving deeper into the garden. There was still no sign of the man or the redhead. A faint noise caught his ear and Geralt squeezed her hand.
"We're being followed. I think we might have become the prey. I hear two sets of feet, but... they're both light, female most likely..."
The air moved behind him and he pushed Criss to one side while he ducked to the other side. A blurry shape lunged from behind, but missed both of them. The bruxa had been stalking them. The brunette's face contorted, her eyes darkened as she smiled malevolently, showing her sharp teeth. He placed himself in the path between her and Criss and waited for her to make a move.
This wasn't training, and he had no weapon. Without his sword, he had no way of killing the monster. He had to hope that somehow he could lure her away, distract her long enough for Criss to escape. The bruxa leapt, and he remained still until the last possible second. Then, with a lithe move, he turned to the side, evading her and landing a well-timed punch in the vampire's side, throwing her off course.
He looked at Criss and mouthed "Run!" to her, but she remained in place, crouched down, with her hands on the ground. Her fingers dug into the soil and he understood what she was doing. He just needed to buy her some time. Luckily, the bruxa was still focused on him. Having regained her feet, she once again lunged towards him. He tried to evade her again, but this time, she jumped to the side and took a swipe at him with her sharp claws. He had no time to get out of the way, so he just moved his fingers to cast Igni. The flames touched the monster's skin, the sizzle and smell of burned flesh were sickening. It shrieked and rolled to the side, extinguishing the flames and taking an offensive stance. Geralt tensed in expectation of a fresh attack, but, as the beast was preparing to launch at him, he heard the muffled sound of a gun and saw a bullet pierce the side of the bruxa's abdomen.
A woman dressed in black combat gear was pointing a weapon at the monster's head. He could see the red dot of the aim move on her forehead. He ducked, but so did the bruxa. The shot missed and the furious vampire jumped in a zig-zag, chaotic pattern towards the woman. The gun went off, again and again, always missing its target until the bruxa took the last leap and knocked the woman down.
In a split second, he heard Criss call out his name. She had materialized his silver sword and was already sliding it to him. He was quick to grab the hilt and run towards the vampire. It had clawed the woman's side and was preparing to feed on her. It heard him approaching and jumped out of the way before he had a chance to cut it down, but landed awkwardly close by. He had no time to play; his attack was swift and aggressive. The blade caught the light of a streetlamp as it cut off the bruxa's head. He twisted to see if the woman in black had survived; Criss was already kneeling beside her.
"She lost consciousness." Her hands moved over the wounds. "I stopped the bleeding, but I won't heal her completely. It would be too conspicuous for whoever finds her."
Just as he was about to tell her that they needed to leave, black shapes surrounded them and it was too late to flee. The red dots of the weapons flickered over his body as well as Criss's. He signalled his peaceful intentions by carefully dropping his sword and raising his arms. That was the last thing he remembered before someone hit him over the head and he was knocked out cold.
The parties Geralt attends end badly... no point in ruining that tradition :D
Thanks for reading yet another chapter! I still can't believe people read this far and I'm thankful for each and every one of you kind people!
